196 



HORTI CULTURE 



February 16, 1907 



A FEW WORDS FOR THE ROSE 

 SOCIETY. 



(1'. Joseph Lynch before the Florists' 

 Club of Washington, D. C, February 5tb, 

 1007.) . 



Your President and Secretary have 

 done me the honor of extending an 

 invitation to say something to you in 

 regard to the American Rose Society 

 and the joint exhibition it will give in 

 connection with your Club in this city 

 next month. It has been suggested 

 that I give a general talk with refer- 

 ence to the Society, what it has ac- 

 complished in the past and what it ex- 

 I)ects to do in this city. I will give 

 you no occasion for alarm in thinking 

 that I intend to read an exhaustive 

 essay, because I feel that all of you 

 are aware of the splendid work the 

 Society has done in advancing the wel- 

 fare of the rose. In these few notes I 

 hope to cover briefly the scope of the 

 Society and enlist the earnest and en- 

 thusiastic support not only of the mem- 

 bers of your Club, but your friends 

 outside of the florists' profession as 

 well. 



The American Rose Society was es- 

 tablished in 1899, with the broad pur- 

 pose in view of extending the pop- 

 ularity of the rose among commercial 

 growers, as well as amateurs; to in- 

 crease the general interest in its cul- 

 tivation; to impress the standard of 

 excf^llence; to foster, stimulate and in- 

 crease the production in every possible 

 way of improved varieties suitable 

 to our American climate. Since its 

 inception it has made steady progress, 

 until now the announcement of an ex- 

 hibition under the auspices of the Soc- 

 iety attracts thousands of interested 

 growers and spectators from all parts 

 of the country. It may be safely said 

 that at the last exhibition held in Bos- 

 ton there was perhaps shown the most 

 magnificent collection of roses, em- 

 bracing almost every class, ever staged 

 in this country. At that meeting Mr. 

 Sander of St. Albans, England, remark- 

 ed in his address there, "If the exhibi- 

 tion I see here could be transferred 

 to our Horticultural Hall in London 

 I am sure it would create a profound 

 sensation. Your American Beauty and 

 Richmond roses are as good, if not 

 better, than any I have ever seen." 



The Society exhibitions have been 

 instrumental in bringing about a keen 

 but friendly rivalry between our com- 

 mercial growers, and the value of this 

 is readily apparent, because it stimu- 

 lates the grower to give the growing 

 of his plants that attention necessary 

 to bring them to the highest degree of 

 perfection, for the purpose of exhibi- 

 tion, thereby increasing the productive- 

 ness of his business in cash returns. 

 Then, too, in setting a higher standard 

 of excellence he advances the popu- 

 larity of the rose in bringing forth its 

 wonderful possibilities. Instead of 

 going about his work in a careless 

 manner the grower, if he be interested 

 in the progress of the Society, will 

 seek to outdo his brother grower in 

 results, with the two-fold adyantage 

 of which I have spoken. This is the 

 monetary view of the good that the 

 Society has done, and apart from this 

 commercial phase it has brought to 

 light where the rose-loving public may 

 see the creations of the world beautiful 

 to a high degree of perfection, thus 

 demonstrating the skill of our growers. 



These exhibitions are productive of 

 benefits even to the grower who does 

 not exhibit, but who in order to com- 

 pete in the open market must perforce 

 grow first-class flowers to hold his 

 own — in short our Society is the har- 

 binger of better prices for every 

 grower. While we do not have the 

 great number of new roses that the 

 European growers exhibit at their 

 great shows, yet we are steadily in- 

 creasing in the creation of new varie- 

 ties, as has been well testified to in 

 the past three years, during which 

 time there has been more new roses 

 of merit introduced by American grow- 

 ers than perhaps in a decade previous 

 to that time. Interest in hybridization 

 has been stimulated, and while the 

 work differs very materially from that 

 in carnations, inasmuch as the later 

 flowers responds so readily to the 

 efforts of improvement, yet we are 

 proud of the many new varieties that 

 have first seen the light of day in 

 America and have been shown at the 

 exhibits of the American Rose Society. 

 Then, again, in this branch of the 

 work the necessity for roses that will 

 adapt themselves to our varying 

 climate has been clearly shown, and by 

 intelligent efforts we have accom- 

 plished something we have never had 

 before, and that is the creation of roses 

 to suit the planter of the South, as 

 well as the grower in the North, not 

 only for the commercial florist, but 

 especially for the amateur grower, 

 who after all is first to be considered, 

 because if we can enlist the support 

 of the great masses of amateur rose 

 growers in all parts of the country by 

 helping them to succeed we know not 

 to what extent the power and influence 

 may extend in beautifying our land and 

 increasing the revenues of our grow- 

 ers. We have found by experience 

 that out of the multitude of new roses 

 sent us from Europe there are but few 

 that have adapted themselves to our 

 climatic conditions, so that it would 

 seem to be the cardinal work of this 

 Society to demonstrate that which is 

 best and that which is not best for 

 professionals and amateurs alike, and 

 this can be only accomplished by unity 

 of action among growers, enthusiastic 

 love for the rose, and a spirit that 

 what is good for one of us is good 

 lor all. The wants of the buyer of our 

 product vacillates from time to time, 

 and in order to keep abreast of the 

 times and secure flowers that will 

 bring the best price we must needs 

 have some means of acquiring this 

 knowledge, as well as of disseminating 

 it. While Bride, Bridesmaid, Golden 

 Gate and Tea roses of similar char- 

 acter, whose popularity perhaps has 

 not diminished because of the in- 

 creased number of people who buy, 

 yet it would seem, to touch upon this 

 subject briefly, that as ex-president 

 Montgomery of this Society very 

 aptly stated that the rose of the future 

 will undoubtedly be raised from a 

 mixture of the Tea and Hybrid Tea, 

 producing a Hybrid Tea of the type of 

 Tom Field and Queen Beatrice, your 

 home roses. Richmond. Liberty, Miss 

 Kate Moulton and others, all roses 

 of the Hybrid Tea class, because of 

 their high and positive colors, which 

 are now so much wanted. Then, too. 

 these roses require more skill in grow- 

 ing, which means more attention, re- 

 sulting in the very condition spoken 

 of previously, that the grower secures 



in' the end a greater return for his 

 labor than he could hope to do were 

 we to continue to be satisfied with the 

 favorites of former years. So m.uch 

 for what the Society has tried to do in 

 the past. 



Now as to what it may expect to do 

 in the future and in this city, the sub- 

 ject is one that I would not attempt 

 to outline, because it is entirely de- 

 pendent upon the combined effort of 

 the growers what may be accomplished. 

 If the Society goes forward as rapidly 

 in the. future as it has in the past it 

 will accomplish a wonderful good for 

 everyone engaged in the florists' busi- 

 ness, not to speak of the great masses 

 of people outside of the florists' trade 

 who are interested in roses. My pur- 

 pose of being with you is more to ask 

 that the Florists' Club of Washington ' 

 will give us that earnest support that 

 we know that they will, feeling that 

 in doing so we are helping each other. 

 We want more members, not only 

 florists but those outside of the trade, 

 and in order to make the exhibition 

 here a success let us bend every possi- 

 ble effort to increase the membership 

 of the Society and stimulate the public 

 interest in our efforts, and with your 

 hearty co-operation we shall have 

 without doubt the best meeting and 

 most attractive exhibition even given 

 by the Rose Society. 



As to what we expect to do at the J 

 forthcoming exhibition in your city I I 

 am unable to give a list of the number 

 of prizes to be offered, but you may 

 depend upon it that there will be a 

 splendid showing. In Boston, if I re- 

 call properly, we had about fifty prizes, 

 cups and in cash, with over one hun- 

 dred competitors. Our president, Mr. 

 Simnson, at the meeting of the Execu- 

 tive Committee a few days ago in New 

 York informed us that there would be 

 more prizes of greater value offered 

 this year than ever before, and this list 

 will be ready for publication in a very 

 short time. It is yet early for entries, 

 but with your co-operation I feel safe 

 in saying that this will be one of the 

 greatest exhibitions ever held in this 

 country. I would specially ask that 

 if possible the Washington society 

 people be asked to donate some special 

 premiums, to be published in the sup- 

 plementary list, in order that we may 

 secure their hearty co-operation in 

 bringing the attendance .up to the 

 highest mark. 



I shall be glad to answer any ques- 

 tions I can in regard to the number 

 of vases required, the height of the 

 benches, and give such information as 

 I have at command, and before clos- 

 ing these remarks let me again urge 

 your club to give us the very best hand 

 you can in order to push the good 

 work forward, so that it may be said 

 that the Washington exhibition far 

 outshone that which has become so 

 famous held in Boston last year. 



If there are any present who are not 

 members, now is the time to get aboard 

 and get a seat in the prow of the boat, 

 even though, as Mr. Montgomery has 

 said, you do get splashed with an oc- 

 casional wave. 



He stood and gazed despondently at 

 the benches crowded with plants all 

 overgrown and lank. "The postman 

 brings bills but no orders. For weeks 

 not an order has come in." Who was 

 he, so unfortunate? Oiilii it iiuiii irho 

 ilocsii't iidi cilixf. 



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